04/10/2004 (Agence Europe) -A press release has indicated that the European Institute of Public Affairs and Lobbying EIPAL" set up ten years ago with the help of the European Commission", has proposed a merger with the European Foundation for Management and Development EFMD created in 1972 with the goal of enabling "EIPAL to profit from EFMD's networks, in order to develop an active networks, in order to reinforce its capacities in the area of European higher education" ( the EFMD is already acknowledged as a "centre of excellence for the teaching of management in Europe", notes the communiqué). The press release also points out that the 19th session de EIPAL, "will start on 18 October 2004 until January 27 2005, with a series of improvements. New courses are envisaged on comitology, the role of the European ombudsman and "strategies on how to obtain European financing" (Info: EFMD-EIPAL, rEU Gachard 88, bte 3, Brussels 1050 . Tel: 02 626 9556; Fax 02 358 45 66 and info@eipal.org).